


The "In" Duology

by mithrel



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Blanket Permission, M/M, Podfic Welcome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-10-11
Updated: 2009-11-11
Packaged: 2017-11-11 00:57:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/472688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mithrel/pseuds/mithrel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>First there's the drunken confession. And then...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In Vino...Something or Other

Arthur escorted his manservant back to Gaius’ chambers. Tonight was the harvest festival, and the servants were allowed a certain amount of licence. Merlin had used that licence to get drunk.

 _Very_ drunk.

At least he was no longer caterwauling, Arthur thought with relief. That had been painful, in more ways than one.

On the other hand, Merlin seemed to have forgotten who he was, and was complaining about him to the sympathetic person taking him home.

“Stupid Arthur,” he muttered. Arthur ignored him.

“’S a prat,” Merlin continued.

Arthur hid a smile. “I’m sure you’ve told him so often enough.”

“Dun’ matter,” Merlin slurred. “Still a prat.”

Oh, Arthur was never going to let him hear the end of this!

“’tractive one, though,” Merlin espoused, as Arthur’s eyebrow did an impression of Gaius’ and climbed into his hairline.

“What?”

“I said, he’s ‘tractive,” Merlin repeated, shaking a finger at him. “But don’ tell h’m I said that. Make h'm even more insufferabable. Ble,” Merlin added for good measure.

“I won’t breathe a word of it,” Arthur promised. Merlin thought he was attractive? This was new.

“S’mtimes I wanna…” Merlin stumbled over nothing, and Arthur caught him.

“Want to what?” Arthur prompted him, not sure whether he wanted to know.

“Shag h’m senseless.”

Arthur choked. When Merlin sobered up, they were going to have a long talk. Or, possibly, a brief talk followed by more interesting things.

Merlin sighed suddenly, looking forlorn. “Dun’ matter. He wouldn’ wan’…wouldn’ think…would hate me.”

Arthur’s heart constricted, and he tightened his hold on Merlin. “You might be surprised.”

Yes, he decided, they were _definitely_ going to talk.  



	2. In The Cold Light of Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after the confession.

Merlin woke up with his head splitting in half. He groaned. What had he _done_ last night?

This wasn’t the first time he’d woken up with a hangover too horrible to cure with magic–if he tried in this state he didn’t know what would happen. So that meant one of Gaius’ horrible remedies.

He stumbled out into the main room.

“Ah, you’re awake,” Gauis said, looking up from his worktable.

Merlin whimpered. “Don’t shout, please.”

Gaius gave him a twisted smile. “Here,” he said, pouring what he’d been working on into a cup. “I thought you’d need this.”

“What is it?” he asked suspiciously.

“Willowbark, feverfew, milk thistle and peppermint.”

Merlin took the viscous stuff and drank it; it wasn’t as bad as he’d thought it would be, tasting mainly of honey, not whatever foul ingredients had been in the last one. His headache started to recede, but he still had no idea what he’d got up to last night.

“You had quite a night of it,” Gaius said disapprovingly. “Arthur brought you home.”

 _Arthur brought…_ He groaned again, because those words had triggered the memories of his confession last night. _Gods, did I really say Arthur was attractive and I wanted to shag him senseless?_ The best, the very best he could expect from this was merciless teasing for the rest of his life. At worst, he’d find himself dismissed. Or executed.

“Well, you’d better get moving,” Gaius said.

“What?” Merlin blinked at him. Between the hangover and the certainty of doom that had crystallised in his soul, he was finding it hard to focus.

Gaius sighed. “Work, Merlin. The prince still needs help, even if his servant did make a complete fool of himself last night.”

 _You don’t know the half of it,_ Merlin thought miserably, and headed out the door without breakfast.

***

By the time he got to Arthur’s rooms Gaius’ remedy had taken hold enough that he no longer wanted to crawl into a hole and die. At least not because of the headache.

“I’m surprised you can even walk, after how much you drank last night,” Arthur said as he came in.

“I didn’t drink _that_ much!” Merlin retorted automatically. “Only a few glasses of wine.”

“If you’re that much of a lightweight, why did you drink at all?” Arthur enquired.

“I…don’t know!” Merlin said, wishing he were anywhere but here. Any moment Arthur was going to bring up what happened…

But he only smiled and said, “You _can_ take the day off, you know.”

 _This is it. He doesn’t want to have anything to do with me anymore._ “Is that an order?”

Arthur barked out a laugh. “Of course not, Merlin, it’s an offer. Although I can make it an order if you want.”

“No, no, that’s fine! I’ll stay here, thanks.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow at him, then shrugged. “Whatever.”

“Would you just get it over with?” Merlin burst out.

“Get what over with?” Arthur asked, his brow furrowing.

“The…the sacking me, or sending me to the stocks or…something!” Merlin shouted, waving his hands.

“What, you mean because I’m ‘an insufferable attractive prat you want to shag senseless’?” Arthur asked, smirking.

Merlin sagged. “Arthur…”

“You were drunk,” Arthur said. “I’m not going to hold that against you.”

He was sure Arthur heard his relieved sigh from where he stood on the other side of the room. People on the other side of the castle probably heard it. “You’re not going to tease me about it?”

Arthur smirked again. “I didn’t say _that._ ”

Merlin sighed. It was better than he could have hoped for.

“Merlin,” Arthur repeated softly. “You were drunk. You didn’t know what you were saying. I know better than to think you actually think that.”

Merlin stared at Arthur, trying to decipher his expression, but his face was masklike. He was giving him an out. He should just agree that it had been the wine talking, and they could go back to the way things used to be. But something stopped him. Something about Arthur’s lack of expression, or the fact that he thought something else might have happened last night, besides him blurting out his attraction to Arthur.

“Either way you’re going to give me grief for the rest of my life.”

Arthur smirked again. “Of course. You don’t think I’m going to let something like this go, do you?”

Merlin sighed. “Of course not.” He stood there, wondering if he should confess that yes, he really was attracted to Arthur, but unable to do so.

“What do you remember, about last night?” Arthur asked.

Merlin felt his face grow hot. “Nothing…well, just making an idiot of myself.”

“What exactly?” Arthur pressed.

Merlin glared at him. Did he have to _say_ it? “I didn’t realise who you were and I was complaining about you. Then I said you were attractive and I wanted to shag you senseless.”

“Anything else?”

Merlin shook his head, panic suddenly bubbling up. “No, why? I can’t have said anything worse than that, could I?” _Gods, please tell me I didn’t confess to being a sorcerer!_

Arthur shook his head. “No, you didn’t say anything else.”

Merlin breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. “So what am I supposed to remember?”

Arthur hesitated. “If you did…feel that way…”

When he didn’t continue, Merlin prompted, “Yes?”

“I…” Arthur stopped, then growled, “Never mind!”

“No, what? If I did feel that way what?” _What’s got into him? He’s been acting strange all morning._

“I…wouldn’t mind.”

Merlin took a moment to process the possible implications of that, and decided to err on the side of caution. “Well, that’s good. I’d hate for things to change between us because I got drunk and made an idiot of myself.”

Arthur’s eyes hardened and his lips thinned. He nodded shortly. “Well, that’s all sorted then.”

But it wasn’t, not from the way he was acting. Merlin decided he had to take a risk. “It wasn’t just the wine.”

Arthur blinked. “What?”

“I…really am attracted to you.”

“Since when?”

Merlin pursed his lips, thinking. “Well, I was attracted to you from when I first saw you…”

Arthur’s lips quirked in a smug smile.

“…before I realised you were such a prat,” Merlin continued teasingly.

The smile transformed into a scowl.

“It was only after you disobeyed your father and went to get the cure for the poison that I…” Merlin stopped, his gut churning. _What are you_ doing, _idiot?! You can’t tell him that!_

“That you what?” Arthur asked sharply.

Merlin shook his head frantically. “Never mind!” _Oh, gods, why did I have to make things worse? Why can’t I ever keep my mouth shut? Now he’s going to keep hounding me until I tell him…_

“No, _not_ ‘never mind’! What were you going to say?”

 _He won’t let this go. I have to tell him._ He stared at the floor and continued, stammering slightly, “I-it was only after you went to find the cure that I realised that I…that I…” He couldn’t say it. But he could feel Arthur staring at him, waiting for an answer, so he finished in a rush, “thatIrealisedIlovedyou!”

He turned to go, unable to face Arthur after this, but a hand grabbed his shoulder and turned him around again.

“You love me,” Arthur repeated, his voice and face giving nothing away.

Merlin nodded miserably.

Arthur’s face softened. “Why didn’t you _tell_ me?”

“How am I supposed to tell you something like that?” Merlin snapped. “You’re the heir to the throne, and I’m a peasant! Even if it could happen it could never happen!”

Arthur stared at him for a moment, then said, “Leaving aside the contradiction of that last sentence, you still should have told me.”

And Arthur leaned down and kissed him.

Merlin’s brain froze. Arthur was kissing him. Why was Arthur kissing him? _You’d think that would be obvious,_ came the thought in his mind, and he wondered when Arthur had gained thought-projection, but then realised it was his own thought.

Arthur pulled back, looking insulted. “You could at least _react!_ ”

“But…but…” He wasn’t capable of _thinking_ right now, much less anything else.

Arthur gave a long-suffering sigh. “You apparently don’t remember it, but after you confessed last night, and then started mooning about how I’d hate you if I knew, I told you you might be surprised.”

 _Surprised…_ He was so much more than surprised right now, but… “What are you saying?”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Since your brain is apparently too damaged to process anything but simple explanations, I’ll be blunt. I am attracted to you too. I _love_ you too. We are going to have sex now. Does this course of action meet with your approval?”

Merlin gaped. “You…we…yes…I mean…but…but you’re hearing audiences from the western villages today.”

Arthur scowled. “Damn, you’re right, it’s the annual review, I can’t miss it.” He fixed Merlin with a penetrating gaze. “We _will_ continue this later.”

Merlin nodded mutely, his head still whirling.

 

***

That evening Merlin got Arthur ready for bed as usual. Except that nothing was usual about it. He knew full well that, rather than dismissing him after he was in his sleepclothes, Arthur would ask him to stay and the clothes would come off again.

He still didn’t know how this had happened, and was inclined to be sceptical about the whole thing. If it seemed too good to be true, it probably was.

But Arthur was looking at him with a soft expression in his eyes Merlin had only seen when they’d just survived something that should have killed one or both of them.

“This time no interruptions,” he said, and Merlin nodded.

“Are you sure about this?” Arthur continued. “I don’t want to force you.”

Merlin snorted. “Like you could force me into anything.”

Arthur looked indignant, then sighed softly. “You’re right.”

Merlin shifted awkwardly, unsure how they were going to do this, but Arthur took hold of his upper arms and kissed him softly.

Merlin melted into it, letting Arthur lick into his mouth. Arthur moved to kiss the corner of his mouth, his right hand moving down to take Merlin’s left, and interlace their fingers.

Arthur brought their hands to his mouth and kissed Merlin’s palm, and something broke loose in Merlin at the gesture. He’d never expected to have this, not in a million years. Arthur in love with him, wanting him like this.

Arthur smiled softly and drew Merlin towards the bed, pulling him down on top of him. Arthur kissed him again, stroking Merlin’s cheekbones with his thumbs, and Merlin pulled away at the intimacy of the gesture.

Arthur raised a brow in inquiry and Merlin shook his head and kissed him. Arthur pulled his kerchief off, licking down Merlin’s throat, and Merlin moaned.

He reached out for Arthur’s sleepshirt and pulled it over his head, losing the feel of Arthur’s lips against him for an aching moment.

Arthur fumbled with his belt, and yanked his trousers down. Merlin kicked them off, then fumbled with the lacings on his tunic, finally snapping them and casting it to the floor.

He felt a moment of self-consciousness then, but Arthur ran his hand over Merlin’s hip and smiled and it melted away.

He tugged Arthur’s loose trousers down and off, so they were both completely naked.

The awkwardness returned, redoubled. He still didn’t know what they were doing, what Arthur wanted.

Arthur seemed to sense his uncertainty, because he said, “I believe you said something about shagging me senseless.”

Merlin blinked at him, his mouth falling open. “You mean…”

Arthur shrugged. “Why not?”

Merlin wasn’t fooled by his nonchalance. He knew full well that Arthur had never done this with anyone; as Crown Prince he had no privacy, and if the fact that he’d let someone fuck him had got back to Uther…

But Arthur was offering it to him. His admission earlier had been couched in terms of “My God, how can someone so idiotic be breathing?” but everything he’d done since this started had supported the fact that, yes, Arthur did love him. And to trust him with this…

Merlin kissed him, hard, and Arthur kissed him back. He ran his hands down Arthur’s sides, ghosting over his hips, then took hold of Arthur’s cock. Arthur moaned encouragingly.

“Do you have anything?”

It took Arthur a moment to answer before he gasped, “Under the mattress.”

Merlin felt around until he found a small bottle of leather oil. He uncapped it and poured some onto his hand.

Arthur’s eyes were fixed on his hands, and Merlin reached down slowly and ran a finger over his entrance.

Arthur hissed, apprehension flaring in his eyes, and Merlin stroked his hip. “Shh. You’re sure you want to do this?”

“Yes.” Arthur’s voice was resolute.

Merlin nodded and whispered. “Relax.” And he eased a finger into Arthur, slowly, keeping an eye on his face.

Arthur’s brow furrowed slightly, and despite his obvious attempts to breathe through it he tensed against the intrusion. Merlin stroked his cock again and repeated, “Relax.”

Arthur let out a shuddering breath and Merlin was able to ease his finger the rest of the way in. He kept stroking Arthur as he added a second finger, opening him up, stretching him, looking for…

Arthur gasped, and his hips jerked forward. His eyes locked with Merlin’s. “What…?”

Merlin kissed him. “Part of what makes this so enjoyable.”

Merlin poured out more of the oil and added a third finger. Arthur had a death-grip on his shoulder, breathing in quick, stuttering gulps.

When Merlin finally judged that Arthur was ready, he pulled his fingers out, poured out more of the oil and slicked up his own cock, gritting his teeth at the sensation.

He parted Arthur’s arse-cheeks and slowly pushed his way in. Arthur made a high-pitched noise as he did so and Merlin forced himself to stop. “You alright?”

Arthur nodded, his lips pressed together. “Fine,” he gasped, “I’m fine.”

Merlin still waited for him to relax again before easing the rest of the way in.

He took a moment to drink in the sensation of Arthur clenched around him before pulling out slightly and sinking back in.

Arthur’s hands locked on his hips, and Merlin studied his face closely. A light sheen of sweat coated his skin, his lower lip between his teeth. “If you don’t _get on with it,_ ” he snarled, “I’ll have you flogged.”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “Yes, _sire._ ”

He pulled out all the way and thrust back in, his hips slapping against Arthur’s. Arthur’s hands had migrated to his arse, squeezing in time with Merlin’s thrusts.

“Gods, Arthur…”

Merlin shifted slightly and Arthur moaned, his hips snapping upward. He seemed to be having trouble drawing breath, but his awe-filled whisper of “Merlin” sent another thread of lust into Merlin’s belly.

This was so much better than he’d imagined, the few times he’d let himself dare to imagine it at all. Arthur writhing underneath him, his hands roving as if he didn’t know where he wanted to touch most, his gasps and choked-off curses were driving him past the point where he was capable of thinking.

He reached between them to stroke Arthur again, and Arthur came, hard, clenching around him, with a noise that Merlin would swear was from pain if he didn’t know better.

That set him off, and he came inside Arthur, with a strangled moan.

He collapsed on top of Arthur, taking a moment to come down from his orgasm.

Arthur poked him after a moment. “For someone so skinny you’re awfully heavy.”

“Sorry,” Merlin said, rolling off him. He didn’t feel particularly like moving, though, especially not when Arthur began stroking his hair.

“So,” Arthur drawled. “I have to wonder just who shagged who senseless here.”

Merlin looked at Arthur. His fringe was soaked with sweat, straggling into his eyes, his eyes were glazed and his lip red where he’d bitten it. “I’d say it’s definitely mutual.”


End file.
